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OMRI Daily Digest, Vol. 2, No. 122, 96-06-24
From: Open Media Research Institute <http://www.omri.cz>
Vol. 2, No. 122, 24 June 1996
CONTENTS
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] NADIBAIDZE ON "COUP," RUSSO-GEORGIAN MILITARY TIES.
[02] ALIEV ORDERS RELEASE OF TURKISH JOURNALIST, ACCUSES EMIGRE ORGANIZATION.
[03] KAZAKHSTAN'S TRADE UNIONS OBJECT TO PENSION LAW.
[04] UZBEKISTAN SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH EUROPEAN UNION.
[05] UZBEKISTAN'S ARMED FORCES.
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] BOSNIAN CROATS DENY ATTEMPTING TO PRESERVE HERCEG-BOSNA.
[07] COTTI VISITS BOSNIA BEFORE DECISION ON ELECTIONS.
[08] SERBS BEING BULLIED OUT OF SARAJEVO.
[09] BOSNIAN SERB FOREIGN MINISTER DENIES HE WILL REPLACE KARADZIC ...
[10] ... WHILE SERBIAN 'DEMOCRATS' SUPPORT KARADZIC CANDIDACY.
[11] MILOSEVIC'S WIFE GAINS MONTENEGRIN SUPPORT.
[12] KOSOVO SERBS DEMAND CLARIFICATION FROM MILOSEVIC.
[13] ILIESCU IN ITALY.
[14] CONFERENCE ON CONSOLIDATING MOLDOVA'S STATEHOOD.
[15] BULGARIAN ROUNDUP.
[16] FINAL ALBANIAN ELECTION RESULTS ANNOUNCED ...
[17] ... WHILE ALBANIAN PRESIDENT RULES OUT NEW ELECTIONS.
[A] TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA
[01] NADIBAIDZE ON "COUP," RUSSO-GEORGIAN MILITARY TIES.
Georgian Defense Minister Vardiko Nadibaidze denied allegations that he was
involved in organizing a coup attempt in support of former Russian Defense
Minister Pavel Grachev, according to a 21 June BGI report monitored by the
BBC. In rejecting the allegations made by Aleksandr Lebed, Chairman of
Russia's Security Council, Nadibaidze said the purpose of his visit to Moscow
was to confirm the schedule for upgrading Georgia's arsenal with Russian
assistance. He noted that Georgia is to receive 100 tanks, 100 personnel
carriers, and six military launches, although he was unable to sign the
agreement on these deliveries due to Grachev's dismissal. However, it was
agreed that Russia will provide 10.5 billion rubles ($2.1 million) worth of
equipment for Georgia's air defense system, Radio Rossii reported on 21 June. -
- Lowell Bezanis
[02] ALIEV ORDERS RELEASE OF TURKISH JOURNALIST, ACCUSES EMIGRE ORGANIZATION.
Azerbaijan's President Haidar Aliev ordered the release of Turkish journalist
Isa Yasar Tezel, Turkish and Western agencies reported on 21 June. Tezel was
detained in mid-April in the company of Panah Huseinov, a former Prime
Minister during the rule of pro-Turkish President Abulfaz Elchibey, and
charged with resisting arrest, misappropriating state property and concealing
a crime. His release was secured when a delegation from Turkey's Igdir
province --where many Turkish Azeri dwell-- met with Aliev and presented him
with a petition bearing some 5,000 signatures. Aliev used the opportunity to
blast the Ankara-based Azerbaycan Kultur Dernegi (Azerbaijan Cultural
Association) for involvement in activities hostile to Azerbaijan, Cumhuriyet
reported on 23 June. -- Lowell Bezanis
[03] KAZAKHSTAN'S TRADE UNIONS OBJECT TO PENSION LAW.
Kazakhstan's trade unions have urged President Nursultan Nazarbayev not to
endorse the law on raising the pension age by three years, ITAR-TASS reported
on 21 June. The law proposed raising the pension age by 3 years--to 63 for men
and 58 for women. The rejection of the draft pension law by Kazakhstan's
Majilis (lower house) on 23 May heralded a constitutional crisis, averted by
Prime Minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin's mediation which resulted in the
parliament endorsing the pension bill on 11 June (See ). A new confrontation
between the cabinet and the Majilis is likely if President Nazarbayev endorses
the trade unions' demands. -- Bhavna Dave
[04] UZBEKISTAN SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH EUROPEAN UNION.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov signed a partnership and cooperation accord on
21 June, at a ceremony attended by EU leaders in Florence, Italy, Reuters and
ITAR-TASS reported. The accord allows for cooperation in "in most areas" but
does not include security and military issues. Uzbekistan hopes this latest
deal will pave the way for the Central Asian nation to join the World Trade
Organization. Uzbekistan is the fifth country from the CIS to be recognized as
a trade partner with the European Union. -- Bruce Pannier
[05] UZBEKISTAN'S ARMED FORCES.
An interview with Colonel Shamil Gareyev, chief of Uzbekistan's Defense
Ministry's Operations Department, published in the 20-26 June edition of
Obshchaya Gazeta provides rare insight into Uzbekistan's armed forces. In
addition to the 70,000-strong Uzbek army, another 180,000 troops are on
"alternative service" whereby they continue to hold their regular jobs for two
years but pay 20% of their salaries to the Defense Ministry. The "alternative
servicemen" are also employed two months per year in harvesting cotton.
Garayev made it clear that Uzbekistan did not want to rely on Russian troops.
He also said Russia "supports [Tajik President] Rahmonov" while Uzbekistan
wants all conflicting forces in Tajikistan to be reconciled. -- Lowell
Bezanis
[B] SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
[06] BOSNIAN CROATS DENY ATTEMPTING TO PRESERVE HERCEG-BOSNA.
After having been heavily criticized by both their federal Muslim partners and
the international community (see OMRI Daily Digest, and ), three Bosnian Croat
leaders on 23 June denied Croats were trying to preserve a separate mini-state
of Herceg-Bosna, AFP reported. Bosnian Foreign Minister Jadranko Prlic,
Federation Defense Minister Vladimir Soljic, and head of the Croatian
Democratic Community (HDZ) Bozo Rajic said their move to restructure the
Herceg-Bosna government was misunderstood, and was actually a way to gradually
transfer authority to the Bosnian federation. Meanwhile, Bosnian Croats on 22
June stoned buses carrying more than 200 Bosnian Muslims trying to visit their
former homes in Pocitelj, south of Mostar, AFP reported quoting a Bosnian
radio report. The local Croat police did not react, AFP reported. -- Daria Sito Sucic
[07] COTTI VISITS BOSNIA BEFORE DECISION ON ELECTIONS.
Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE President Flavio Cotti arrived in Bosnia-
Herzegovina on 23 June for a series of meetings with both Bosnian and
Republika Srpska officials, international and local media reported. After
talks with Bosnian Prime Minister Hasan Muratovic, Cotti said the OSCE was not
subject to any pressure, though all Western governments want the Bosnian
elections to be held by the agreed September deadline, Hina reported.
Muratovic said Bosnian authorities would take all measures necessary to create
conditions for free elections, whenever they take place. Cotti is expected to
disclose the decision on the elections date on 25 June. -- Daria Sito
Sucic
[08] SERBS BEING BULLIED OUT OF SARAJEVO.
Seventy-two Serbs have been intimidated into leaving formerly Serb-held
suburbs of Sarajevo, Onasa quoted UN spokesman Alexander Ivanko as saying on
21 June. He added that more are preparing to go if the situation does not
improve. "We are especially concerned over the harassment of [members of the]
Serbian Democratic Initiative (SDI), the only organization that is trying to
protect Serbs in those areas," Ivanko said. The UN is particularly concerned
about SDI member Bogdan Jovanovic, whom federal police arrested some weeks ago
on suspicion of war crimes, Ivanko added. Jovanovic remains in jail but no
charges have been brought against him and no evidence has been produced. --
Patrick Moore
[09] BOSNIAN SERB FOREIGN MINISTER DENIES HE WILL REPLACE KARADZIC ...
Apparently in response to the international community's anger at the
nomination of Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic as the governing Serbian
Democratic Party's (SDS) candidate for the presidency of the Republika Srpska
(RS) (see ), leaks to news agencies from within the RS suggested that Karadzic
will leave the presidency this week to concentrate on SDS affairs, and that
Foreign Minister Aleksa Buha will replace him. Buha himself denied the story
as "journalistic speculation," Nasa Borba reported on 24 June. Karadzic has been endorsed by the Banja Luka SDS and by the Society of Refugees in Brcko, which claims to represent 15,000 people. Also in Banja Luka, Mayor Predrag Radic, a former Karadzic ally as the candidate of the opposition Democratic Patriotic Bloc of the Republika Srpska, AFP reported on 23 June. -- Patrick Moore
[10] ... WHILE SERBIAN 'DEMOCRATS' SUPPORT KARADZIC CANDIDACY.
Democratic Party (DS) representative Slobodan Vuksanovic said at a 21 June
press conference in Belgrade that the DS could endorse a possible run by
Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic in upcoming elections in the Republika
Srpska. Vuksanovic described Karadzic's possible run as "legitimate" and said
his party's position is that the Bosnian Serb leader "thus far has shown that
he is responsible to his people, always seemingly placing their interests
above his own." On the same theme, in a 19 June interview with OMRI, DS leader
Zoran Djindjic said that the DS would participate in RS elections, adding that
Karadzic's Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) had "a legitimate [wing] ... that
can be worked with." -- Stan Markotich
[11] MILOSEVIC'S WIFE GAINS MONTENEGRIN SUPPORT.
Rade Lakusic, chair of the League of Communists-Movement for Yugoslavia of
Montenegro (SK-PJCG) said on 21 June that his party would formally join a
coalition with the Yugoslav United Left (JUL), an organization headed by Mira
Markovic, wife of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. Montena-fax reported
the same day that Lakusic said his party and Markovic's would vie for seats in
forthcoming Montenegrin elections, adding that JUL "is a movement that
promotes the humanist and socialist ideals that are not pressed enough [here]
in Montenegro." -- Stan Markotich
[12] KOSOVO SERBS DEMAND CLARIFICATION FROM MILOSEVIC.
An unspecified number of Serbian Defense Movement supporters held a rally at
the monastery of Gracanica near Pristina on 22 June, Beta reported. The
demonstration's leaders had earlier sent a petition to President Slobodan
Milosevic demanding he give an answer as to what future they can expect for
Kosovo. Milosevic, however, did not appear, and neither did any representative
of his Socialist Party of Serbia or the government. Some 40,000 Serbs and
Montenegrins reportedly signed the petition. The head of the Serbian Academy
of Sciences and Arts, Aleksandar Despic, had caused fear among Kosovo Serbs by
saying that Serbia may need to divide from Kosovo in the future. The leaders
of the petition also plan to form a political party. Meanwhile, the Liberation
Army of Kosovo sent a letter to Deutsche Welle claiming responsibility for the
recent shootings of Serb policemen. -- Fabian Schmidt
[13] ILIESCU IN ITALY.
Romanian President Ion Iliescu on 21-22 June paid a visit to Italy, Radio
Bucharest reported. Iliescu, who took part in the Florence EU summit, met with
businessmen in Torino and Milan on 21 June. He visited the Torino-based Fiat
company, one of Europe's largest car producers, and the headquarters of the
San Paolo banking group. At a press conference in Florence after the summit,
Iliescu said on 22 June that isolation was no alternative to EU integration,
irrespective of the costs that process may incur. -- Dan Ionescu
[14] CONFERENCE ON CONSOLIDATING MOLDOVA'S STATEHOOD.
A conference on "Building Up and Consolidating the Statehood of the Republic
of Moldova" was staged in Chisinau on 21 June, Moldpres reported. The
gathering, attended by senior Moldovan officials including President Mircea
Snegur, Prime Minister Andrei Sangheli, and Parliament Chairman Petru
Lucinschi, focused on ways to consolidate the state structures of the former
Soviet republic, which proclaimed its independence on 27 August 1991. In an
opening address, Snegur praised his country's progress toward democracy and
reform, and urged the authorities to work out a "clear concept" for Moldova's
integration into the community of European states. -- Dan Ionescu
[15] BULGARIAN ROUNDUP.
President Zhelyu Zhelev was awarded the annual prize of the Crans Montana
Foundation on 21 June for his work for democracy, RFE/RL reported. The prize
was presented by Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE President Flavio Cotti, who
stressed Zhelev's commitment to democracy. Zhelev asked the West for
understanding of the difficulties former communist countries face in the
transition process, arguing that the transition to a free-market economy
placed enormous burdens on ordinary people. In other news, the Bulgarian civil
defense accidentally triggered an air-raid alert on 23 June. The error was
discovered before military planes took off. According to Trud, military and
civil-defense officials were completely unprepared and in case of a real
attack would have been unable to protect Sofia. Novinar reported that most
air-raid shelters have been rented out as warehouses. -- Stefan Krause
[16] FINAL ALBANIAN ELECTION RESULTS ANNOUNCED ...
According to the Central Electoral Commission (KQZ), the Democratic Party will
get 122 or 85% of the 140 seats in the new parliament. The Socialist Party won
10 seats, the Republican Party and the ethnic Greek Party for the Defense of
Human Rights and Freedoms won three seats each, and the Balli Kombetar won
two. However, the Socialist Party considers the election results manipulated
and plans to boycott the parliament. The Council of Europe (CE) Parliamentary
Assembly's political committee will hold a closed-door meeting on 24 June with
the OSCE, eight Albanian political parties, and the KQZ to prepare for a 26
June emergency meeting of the full assembly. A two-thirds majority of the
assembly may advise the CE's Council of Ministers to suspend Albania's
membership in the organization. -- Fabian Schmidt
[17] ... WHILE ALBANIAN PRESIDENT RULES OUT NEW ELECTIONS.
Sali Berisha, attending the Crans Montana Forum on 22 June, announced that
"there will be no new elections in Albania. On behalf of all those who freely
voted in a sovereign country, I am making this very clear," AFP reported.
Earlier the ruling Democratic Party had rejected a call by the European
Parliament for fresh elections and called a resolution to that effect
"aggressive." -- Fabian Schmidt
Compiled by Steve Kettle and Tom Warner
News and information as of 1200 CET
This material was reprinted with permission of the Open Media
Research Institute, a nonprofit organization with research offices in
Prague, Czech Republic.
For more information on OMRI publications please write to [email protected].
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